Judge Me Tonight
by alisma7
Summary: What Judgement Day didn't show. Sorry I was in a sad mood and this came out. Not a oneshot, I have a few more chapters.
1. Answers We Never Want To Hear

Abby stared at Ducky. "Jenny? Not Jenny!" McGee looked at her, giving her a squeeze of the shoulders.

"Yes. Jenny."

Abby turned around, burying her face in McGee's jacket. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders as her hot, wet tears fell down his neck. Disentangling herself after a few moments, she tried her very hardest to stand up straight.

"Semper Fi and all of that. We have a job to do. For Jenny." McGee nodded as she stepped into the elevator. Walking into her lab, she dug through the drawer until she found a picture of Jenny at the Christmahannukah party from last year.

"Dammit Jenny. Ziva and Tony were supposed to be protecting you!" She spun around, tears streaming down her cheeks. McGee held his arms out, stepping back to avoid being slapped by a very emotional woman.

"Abby, come here. It's okay. Jenny would want us to....to be strong. For her, and for Gibbs. And for her Agency."


	2. Tears Can Burn Like Fire

"Get me the damn results McGee!" Tony screamed his request into the reciever. Ziva looked at him, her eyes dark and weary.

"Tony. Screaming at McGee will not help. It's not...it's not his fault." Ziva's eyes betrayed her, tears slidding down each of her cheeks in matching rows. Tony dropped his cell phone into the dust, motioning for her to come closer.

Leaving the evidence bags to collect dust, she walked over, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "It's our fault. We could have done something."

He whispered into her ear. "She knew what she wanted. She...she was dying anyway. And that would have been slow and painful. Think of this as mercy."

She felt the tears catch in her throat. "She never let us know. She wanted to be strong. For us." The two stood in awkwardly ordained silence.

At last Gibbs ushered her body out, his hand placed gently on her head through the vinyl of the bag.

"Oh!" Ziva's cry was bit off the sudden onslaught of tears. She whispered something to Jenny, because no matter what happened, she would always be Jenny.

"I'm so sorry Jenny. I'm so sorry. I...I love you. Shalom Jen." She stepped back next to Tony, seeking solace in the cotton of his shirt.

Her voice came through once more, thick with tears and hurt and confessions. "Mercies that we never got to say goodbye?"


	3. Family

Ziva stepped into Abby's lab, Tony, McGee and Gibbs behind her. Abby ran up to Ziva, giving her a deep hug as the two women cried into each other's shoulders.

"Zi...oh Zi!" Abby pulled away looking at Ziva. Craning her neck the young Israeli could make out Jenny's blood splattered shirt.

Turning to face the team, Abby murmured, "She was always such a snappy dresser, you know? Like a classy. I never told her that. Why didn't I tell her that? She would have liked that. She would've smiled. You can't wait with stuff like that because you never know what's going to happen."

Turning to each member in turn, she began to speak. "I like the way you dress, Gibbs. It's masculine and spruce, and always with a jacket. See, even you smiled! And Tony you're business, and after hours...it's nice. And Ziva you kick butt and you look so good doing it."

She turned to face McGee. "And McGee...oh McGee!" She wrapped her arms around his waist again, and he cradled her head in the crook of his shoulder.

Gradually the team dispersed, trying to find the person who ordained the killing of Jenny. Abby was left with Ziva, which had the potential to be very, very awkward.

"Abby?" Ziva's voice was extremely quiet.

"Yeah?" Abby's reply was by far more effervescent, almost like flat soda when compared to water.

Sensing her friend's hesitation, Abby walked over to give her a hug. Ziva's soft remark was almost sticky with emotion and sadness. "She died alone...we should have been there....I miss her Abby. I really cared about her."

"Don't do this to yourself Zi. I miss her too. But she knew we were family, and she knew that we would understand why she did this. It was for us, her family.

Ziva sniffled, a pitiful sound to Abby. "She never had a family."

Abby looked into her eyes. "We were her family. McGee, Tony, me, you, Gibbs. We were family."

After a few moments, Abby pressed a few very soft words into Ziva's ear. She picked them especially for now, with possibly more thought than what goes into choosing an infant's name. Because these words would last a lifetime and be a legacy.

"Jenny would want all of us to be strong and do right by her. She knew that she would never get to say goodbye. And that's okay. Because she also knew that we would understand. She...she'll always be our fearless leader. Jenny."


End file.
